Married In Paradise
by Asha-Rose18
Summary: Who knew that all it took was a bottle of tequila, wedding rings and a little magic for two people to realize that they were pining for the wrong people all along?
1. Falling out of Love

**MARRIED IN PARADISE**

When Hermione finally gets sick of everything happening in her life, she runs away to the idyllic Felicia's Isle. Here she meets the last person she thought she would under the weirdest circumstances. Who knew that all it took was a bottle of Tequila, wedding rings and a little magic for two people to realize they were pining for the wrong people all along**?**

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Disclaimer: **XXX .Harry Potter is not mine. XXX**  
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CHAPTER 1: **FALLING ****OUT OF LOVE**

Hermione Granger walked in defeat back to her apartment just outside the Ministry of Magic. _'I'm so sick and tired of my life'_ escaped from her thoughts and she halted abruptly, so startled at the sentence she had never felt before.

'_You're being selfish, Hermione'_ she reprimanded herself and started walking again, ignoring the passers-by who gave her a quizzical look as to why she had suddenly stopped; she was trying to forget that she had ever thought those words. But she couldn't, and soon she was having an internal battle with herself about how she was _not_ sick and tired of her life.

She supposed it could've been better. She graduated from Hogwarts with full of plans, full of opportunities, full of everything. She had a boyfriend, a cause, a direction. But look at her now…for the umpteenth time her proposal on the welfare of non-human magical creatures has been rudely dismissed, she was losing sight of the job she once wanted, S.P.E.W. was failing, and Ron…Ron and she were…_not moving._ That was the most exasperating thing of all. Ron…who expected her to wait after him like his mum did and cook for him three times a day, Ron, who, she suspected, never once considered marriage in their five years together, Ron, who she now thought loved the telly more that he loved her.

She had reached her home now, and she fumbled a bit with the keys. This was the apartment she and Ron shared. As she entered her foot kicked into something just inside the door. The light opened and her eyes fell upon a pair of brown shoes scattered on the floor. Then she saw his socks, his bag, and his shirt. The feeling of defeat welled inside her and turned into anger; Anger at Ron, who she had told time and time again to _at least_ pick up after himself, anger at him for loving the telly more than her, anger at him for still not asking her to marry him.

"RON!" she bellowed, expecting Ron's head to peer any moment from the kitchen or the bedroom, but no red head came. "RON!"

Her eyes, to her indignation, had started tearing as she picked up the stupid stuff off the floor into where they were supposed to be. She was being silly, but she could not help it.

'_Ron, did you hear the news?' she had asked at random one day as he sat in front of the telly._

'_Hmm?' he asked, and she took his momentary interruption as a cue to sneakily turn off the TV. 'What news?'_

'_Lavender and Dean are getting married' she said, glancing up at his expression 'she's only just told me, she's so happy'_

_Ron took it in for a moment, said 'that's great' and then turned back to check the latest results of the Chudley Cannons._

He did not get the hint then. And when she tried asking Harry or Ginny, they gave her reassuring, though empty words that did not reassure her at all.

She slumped into the sofa and roughly wiped her tears away. Ron was nowhere to be found, although it was already eight in the evening "Hermione, stop being such a baby, suck it up…you love Ron, you love him; you just have to deal with it…" her voice sounded like it was pleading with her to agree, but she could not ignore the small, reluctant voice that was saying other things, things she did not really want to consider.

She was just going to argue more with this side of her when her fireplace burst with emerald flames and out stepped two people she loved but did not really want to see just at the moment.

"Hermione, I'm so glad you're home—err, where's Ron?" Harry said, a large, goofy grin plastered on his face, Ginny on his side with the same funny expression. If Hermione hadn't been so down she would've laughed.

"He's not back. So, why the sudden visit?" she said, fixing her face into what she hoped was a happy expression.

Harry and Ginny beamed, and then Ginny held out her slender hand. A princess cut diamond ring was glittering on it. Hermione's face broke into a real smile. "I'm getting married, Hermione! Harry just proposed!" Ginny was practically jumping, Harry was grinning like mad.

"Oh Merlin, Harry…Harry! Ginny! Oh I'm so happy for you!" she gave Harry and Ginny a hug. "Wow…"

"Yeah, we were expecting to tell you and my brother together but…" Ginny rolled her eyes.

Hermione shrugged "He'll be thrilled"

Harry and Ginny glanced at each other, but looked away at once. After a while, Hermione politely refused to have dinner with them, saying she was tired, and they left after more hugs and promises to eat out next time.

"You're my maid of honor, of course" Ginny said, as she and Harry opened the door "and you'll be helping me with plans, right?"

"Of course, silly, I wouldn't miss it" and after that, they left. The smile faltered from her face.

She walked to the bedroom and started fixing and re-fixing what was already a spotless room to begin with. Finally, when she could not clean anymore, she glanced at the clock. An hour had passed, but Ron still has not returned. She decided to lay on the bed, not to sleep but to wait. Another hour passed, two, three…at around one in the morning the bedroom door creaked, and Ron stepped in, smiling as he peered at Hermione's back.

"Whew, fast asleep…" he murmured.

"Not really, Ron…" she quipped.

She heard him jump a couple of steps backward, muttering "Merlin, Hermione!"

She ignored him "Where have you been?"

He noticed her tone and raised his eyebrow "Now, don't get you knickers in a twist, love, I was out with Harry and the guys all night" and he dropped the shirt he had just removed to the floor.

The sight of the shirt on the floor, and his obvious lie, drove Hermione on edge "Oh really? So why was Harry _here_, Ron, telling me the good news that he had just proposed!" she shouted.

Ron did not answer back; he gaped at her, his whole face turning a deep shade of red. "Harry proposed?"

"Yes he did! And he's been dating Ginny, what? Two years?"

"What does that matter!" Ron said, his voice gaining volume.

"We've been together for _five _years! I've been waiting for you for five years! And you…you—Hermione wiped the tears splashing on her face as she got up and started running to the door. "I—I have to go!"

"What!" Ron sprinted after her and barred her exit "don't leave! I wasn't with Harry, but I was with the boys, I'm sorry I lied, don't leave"

Hermione looked up into his earnest, blue eyes. She had tried leaving him a lot of times before but this look of his had always swayed her resolve. "Please let me go, Ron, I have to think…please" and she pulled his arm away, walking into the living room to get her shoes and bag.

"We'll figure it out together" he said, following her.

"No! I have to leave!" she said "Goodbye—

"I'll marry you!" Ron screamed at her. "Fine! You win! I'll marry you!"

Hermione froze in the doorway. She was shaking. "Never, ever use marriage against me, Ronald Weasley! You git!" she screamed. "Goodbye!" and before he could retort, she had disapparated away, leaving a very confused Ron in her wake.

* * *

"Thanks for letting me stay here…Ron has direct access to Harry and Ginny's place" whispered Hermione, as she accepted the gurdyroot infusion tea from a very pregnant Luna Lovegood-Longbottom.

"Oh it's no problem, Hermione" Luna smiled, as she took her seat with Neville on the couch.

"Neville, is it okay?"

"Of course, Hermione…stop worrying…" Neville smiled genially, drinking his own tea. Luna offered her tart.

Hermione accepted the tart, speared her fork into it a little too hard and chewed it a little too deliberately. She barely registered the taste. "It's good, Luna"

"You're too kind, dear, I hear most people think my cooking's dreadful" Hermione blushed. She had been one of those people once. But the tart was really not that bad. Keen to change the subject, she said

"So, how far along are you?" she said, indicating Luna's big, round stomach.

Neville and Luna beamed, "Not long now" Luna said lovingly, caressing the bulge as if it were already a baby. Neville put his hand on top of hers. A little while later, Luna whispered "I want oranges and strawberries in whipped cream, Neville…" Neville smiled a little at the odd request, gave his wife a swift kiss on the lips and then headed for the kitchen.

Hermione watched him go, a little envious of the way he looked at Luna.

Luna was watching her "You and Ron will figure it out…"

"Hmm?" she said, turning back to Luna. "Oh…Ron? Yeah, yeah I guess we will" she heard the doubt in her voice and hated herself for it. "Luna?"

"Yes?"

Hermione hesitated. Would Luna be offended at her question? "Have you ever fallen out of love? You know…with Neville?"

"No…" Luna answered, and she did not look offended "We fight, of course, but I've never really _fallen_ out of love…"

"Oh…" Hermione gulped the rest of her tea, her cheeks flushing.

Neville had just come back from the kitchen with Luna's request when there was a violent knock on the door.

"What in heaven's—

"HERMIONE! Open this door! I know you're in there!" it was the voice of Ron coming from the other side, and, from the sound of it, so was Harry.

"Ron, come on, let's come back when you're—

"HERMIONE!" Ron screamed again; Hermione glanced warily at Neville and Luna. Neville had rounded back to the couch and had his arm around Luna. Luna was eating her fruit. "I'M GOING TO BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR! Come out and talk to me!"

Anger flooded through Hermione. She wrenched the door open and found a very disheveled and drunk Ron, being supported by a very harassed-looking Harry. Harry, who had just proposed mere hours ago, was once again in between his bestfriends' argument.

"Talk to you! Like this?" Hermione said icily "Don't make me laugh!"

"I want you back—

"All I wanted was some time…just time to think! And you come barging here, all drunk and stupid, and threaten to break down the Longbottoms' door! Who do you think you are, Ron!" she was shaking in anger, Ron was turning red, Harry was looking between his two friends with a torn expression.

"I'll marry you! I'll marry you!" shouted Ron.

"Propose when you mean it!" Hermione whipped her wand, pointed it at Ron and muttered a spell that knocked him unconscious. Harry strode over to her, patting her back as she stared, with tears threatening to fall from her eyes, at the pathetic form of Ron on the floor. "Harry, please take Ron home …sorry we got you into this…and just after you got engaged too..."

"Don't be silly, you're both my bestfriends" and he hoisted Ron by the shoulder, turned on the spot with some difficulty and disapparated.

Hermione closed the door and turned to look at Neville and Luna. "Are you okay, dear?" asked Luna. She shook her head, and in the next moment was she was crying, sliding to the floor into the mess she never thought could never happen to her. Everything was falling apart…her career, her relationship, her friendship…and there was nothing she could do.

Soft hands wrapped around her. She looked up to see Luna, who really shouldn't be sitting on the floor to comfort her given her condition "Luna, don't…come on…" still sobbing, she got off the floor and brought Luna to the couch. Neville was on her other side. Luna pulled Hermione down and hugged her again. She sobbed. Neville, not wanting to get in the way, sat opposite them on the chair Hermione had previously vacated. He look concerned for her as well.

"E—everything's s-s-so w-wrong…R-R-Ron…my j-job…a-and you t-two..." and she sobbed harder. Luna gave Neville a look which he understood; he got up and walked back to the kitchen, this time returning with a bottle of blue liquid.

Luna pulled the stopper "Here Hermione…"

"What is it?"

"Calming Draught" said Luna, and she drank it, almost relieved at the instantaneous effects it had afterwards.

"Thanks Luna, Neville" she mumbled. The room quieted after that as no one spoke for a couple of minutes. Hermione was still sobbing.

"You know what you need, Hermione?" Luna said, apparently pleased Hermione had calmed down a bit"a vacation"

Hermione looked up, and had only just registered that she had been staring at her feet for the last minute or so "What?"

"A vacation, sweetie…that's exactly what you need" Luna smiled, and then she left Hermione, tottering to the master bedroom. Even Neville looked confused. A few minutes later she was back with what seemed like glossy paper in her hands. When she got nearer Hermione found that they were travel pamphlets.

She glanced at Neville, whose face had lit up with understanding as he said "Luna that's a wonderful idea!"

"What? What is?" she said, turning back to Luna.

"Felicia's Isle" said Luna, pushing the glossy guides into Hermione's arms. She looked down and saw the pictures: a calm, cornflower blue beach, palms rustling in the breeze, a lone hammock that seemed to be calling her to it, the colourful bustle of a market. "We go there a lot…it's very beautiful. Perfect place to think…"

Hermione looked back at the travel ad. It did look like a beautiful place. But the idea was impossible. She couldn't just leave her job… "I can't…work…Ron…wedding…I can't just leave everything"

"Well, the choice is yours, of course" Luna smiled "Neville gets a really good discount…" Hermione thought of the quiet time she could spend alone somewhere where no one was bound to know her. How she could mope against the stunning backdrop…moping there was bound to be better than moping where she was.

And she hasn't had a vacation since she started the job. She deserved it.

The two voices: reason and longing, argued all night. She looked again at the photos and knew that reason was slowly but surely losing.

"Felicia's Isle, your happiness is our happiness" she muttered. At last she could not pretend any more, could not argue any further. "Fine, Felicia's Isle it is"

By the next day she was ready to leave.

"Thanks, Neville, Luna…thank you…I'll visit when I get back"

She kissed Luna on both cheeks. "You take care of yourself, okay dear? And have fun"

Neville shook her hand "Be sure to visit Magus Market…it's a Wizarding community there, you'd love their one of a kind stuff"

"I will…goodbye...thank you for everything"

Feeling giddy, excited and slightly sick, she disapparated to the airport.

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_haha...another story! sheessh...my responsibilities are adding up :)_

~ Asha Rose


	2. Tequila at Sunset

**MARRIED IN PARADISE**

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Hermione's arm slid from under her pillow to across the bed. Upon realizing that she felt only an empty bed next to her, she opened her eyes.

She was lying beneath an unfamiliar billow of white with no Ron at her side. And then it hit her, she wasn't in London, she was somewhere over the Caribbean…_Felicia's Isle…_ and she was there alone. Hermione did not know whether Ron's absence from beside her was a sad thing or not, but it was all very new to her.

'_Of course it would be, Hermione, you've been sleeping in one bed for two years now' _she thought a little sadly.

Wanting to divert her thoughts from her major disappointment that was Ron, she picked up the activities guide sitting on her bedside table and started to read. There were a lot of things she could do: Snorkeling, deep sea swimming, lounging by the sea with rented hammocks, or drinking cocktails in the Coconut club. But none of them felt very inviting at the moment, not when she was still in the mood to mourn. Finally she picked up the phone. Pressing a button, she waited for the phone to pick up and said "Hello, is this room service?"

She decided she did not want to leave her room all that day.

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**(A whole morning and afternoon later**)

A mental battle was once again happening inside her mind. She had descended to the ground floor, every minute wanting to turn back and hide into a ball in the confines of her room. Staying in and moping did not go as good as she had planned. Soon she was sobbing into her blanket anyway, feeling all sorry for herself.

She passed a mirrored hall and paused, looking at the reflection that seemed to be playing tricks with her eyes. Because there was no way that _that_ person in the mirror could be Hermione Jean Granger, the constant fighter for non-wizard creatures' rights.

It wasn't bad, exactly, just…_creepy._ Yes, that was the word—"creepy". Her hair was set in a loose knot at the nape of her neck. She was wearing one of her going-out dresses that she had never, ever worn and strappy sandals. How weary had she been as of late, she wondered, that a little _non_-magic enhancement made her look better than she had in years. How was it that all it took was to run away? A thought ran through her mind but she ignored it. No, of course it wasn't a sign of _that_. It couldn't. This was just a phase she had to go through after all, so whatever she thought she lost would come back, hopefully doubled, so she'd never do something like this again.

Finding that she had stood in front of the mirrors long enough, she pressed on. It was too late to go back now anyway.

The Coconut Club was set on an outdoor patio behind the hotel. It had a wooden deck dotted here and there with tables and slouchy chairs, tables encircling colourful umbrellas, and a long bar stationed under a pretty little thatched roof. There was a floor for dancing too, lit up with little white lights.

Hermione stepped inside and headed for the reception, where a cheery local hostess was welcoming everyone in the local tongue.

"HELLO! Welcome to the Coconut Club" she said, her dark eyes sparkling as she greeted a very embarrassed Hermione. Then looking around, she asked "alone, miss?"

"Err, yes…" she said, brooding over the fact that she hasn't sat alone in a club since she got out of Hogwarts "Could I have a secluded table? I just came down for a drink"

"No party plans? A pretty lady like you shouldn't hide in a secluded little corner, you should—and the host made a little wave with her body—"get up and dance"

Hermione smiled but insisted on the secluded table. Finally, the hostess grudgingly gave her a table on the outermost side of Coconut Club, isolated from all the others "Oh and, if any loco comes and bother you, just come to me, okay?"

"Thank you uhh—Hermione glanced at the girl's name tag "Luella"

"Pleasure's mine, have fun!" and with a last wave, Hermione made her way through the floors of the club, ready to sulk down her pitiful present state with one—or maybe three—bottles of the strongest alcohol they've got.

* * *

Draco Malfoy could have disapparated, but what was the point of learning to hail the local cab—which, he was pleased to find, was really very comfortable—when he wasn't going to use it?

Upon arriving at the hotel, he deposited his luggage to the boy near the entrance and walked straight to the front desk. The receptionist beamed at him and said "Welcome back, Mr. Malfoy! Felicia Hotel is pleased to see you again". He allowed himself a smile, for he did miss the place—and Felicia's Isle in general—terribly. But his present situation really did not put him in a mood to enjoy.

"Maria, I have a favor to ask you…" he said, and wished with all his might that the girl could help him. She nodded. "I need another room…are there any vacancies? Any room would be fine"

Maria's smile faltered. She gave her computer a small glance before turning back to Draco. This did not help "the last vacant room was booked yesterday, Mr. Malfoy. But—

"But?" Draco said, willing her on…

"But you have booked a fine room, sir; Room H1 has the finest view—

"There is no other room?" he said, knowing deep inside that this did was bound to happen. Maria shook her head. His hand twitched on his wand, as the temptation to confund the receptionist, making her kick someone out of the hotel, mounted to an extreme, but he reminded himself that he did not do that anymore. Instead he said "It doesn't matter; could you please ask someone to take my bags to the room then, I need a drink"

Maria nodded a bit too enthusiastically, obviously so relieved that she did not disappoint one of the hotel's most regular patrons. Draco gave her a swift nod and walked away from the front desk, intent on getting himself hopelessly drunk at the club.

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"Your order, pretty lady?" Hermione blushed at being called pretty by the shirtless, utterly hot waiter that was standing in front of her. He smiled coyly, not bothering to hide the fact that he was checking her out. She wanted to say something witty, flirty or a mixture of both…but what came out was:

"Strongest alcohol you've got, please" which sounded close to desperate and was not was she was going for at all. "A—a bottle of it" if the waiter was surprise at her odd order, he didn't show it.

"How about the local tequila?" he offered.

"Great…thanks." And she smiled—with no hint of a flirt—as he walked away. What was wrong with her? "Great…a good-looking man comes along and I give off the impression of an alcoholic." She muttered, wishing a black hole would just swallow her whole.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Coconut club, by the bar, Draco had just slumped down into the nearest empty bar stool. A bartender approached him.

"Your order, sir"

"A bottle of anything you've got…something strong please" he muttered, scanning his surroundings for a quiet place to mope.

The bartender returned with a big bottle of premium distilled tequila. "Drinking alone, sir?"

"Hmm? No…" he said absent-mindedly, still looking around "put it on my tab…room H1"

The bartender's eyes widened "A newlywed! Ah…congratulations!" and he took off for a few seconds, and returned with a small bottle of wine "courtesy of Coconut club, congratulations!"

The man beamed. He returned it with a sort of grimace, mumbled a thanks and got up to walk to the deserted part of the club.

Hermione opened the bottle and poured down her first glass. She looked around at everyone, who all looked like they were enjoying and having fun. It made her feel sort of lonely. She wasn't used to sitting alone, pouring her own tequila.

For something to do, she gulped down the shot. Her eyes watered and she wildly threw her hands to reach for the lemon. It hit a candle.

"Ouch! Damnit!" she said, her hands finally closing around the lemon slices and popping one of them in her mouth.

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Draco looked over the balcony and breathed in the warm, salty air. He was still holding his bottle of tequila and the complimentary bottle the bartender had given him, and was trying hard to resist the temptation to chuck the bottle off the balcony, just to show his anger at the world. He felt lonely, thinking of what might have been happening right then had everything gone according to plan. It's as if his whole world had suddenly fallen apart. One moment he was up the aisle, excited, giddy, a little sick, waiting for her to come...and then the next moment he was staring down at a small piece of parchment given to him by one of her pages, which held nothing but five words: _'Sorry Draco, I'm not ready'_ -_T_

His mother all but imperiused him to take this trip, and even his father agreed that looking like hell was not the Malfoy way. So here he was, with his complimentary bottle of tequila and his Honeymoon Suite, alone, angry and lonely.

"Ouch! Damnit!" someone shouted, coming from somewhere to his left. It had come from the secluded table he was going to occupy in the first place. Turns out it had already been taken by a woman who looked as if she was just as alone as he was. He started walking to her, not really knowing what he was doing.

"Are you okay?" She looked up, and in that instant he knew that her expression was mirroring his own right then. For there was Hermione Granger, one of his former archenemies, and she was sucking hard on a piece of lemon that was inside her mouth. She spit it away, her face crimson.

He couldn't think of anything to say but "Granger…you're here…"

The shocked expression on her face melded into something that was more familiar to him; It's as if he was back in Hogwarts and had just offended her. "Well spotted, Malfoy"

Draco smirked at her and took the seat across her without her invitation "I meant no offense with that, Granger"

"I didn't ask you to sit, _Malfoy_" She retorted. She poured another measure of the tequila and grimaced again as she gulped it down.

Draco opened his own bottle and smirked. "Why? Your weasel hubby might get jealous? Speaking of which—and he turned, expecting Ron's red hair and freckly face to appear any moment. Of course if there was a Granger, there was bound to be a Weasley...everyone at Hogwarts, including him, had bet that they were going to get married first.

"He's not here." Hermione said suddenly, and as Draco turned back to her, he saw a little bitterness on her face. Maybe he had just lost the bet. His eyes wondered down once again to her bottle of tequila.

"And you're still drinking all _that_?" he pointed to the bottle.

Hermione shrugged. "Well, you've got two bottles, or are you drinking all that with your _girlfriends_?" Draco did not miss the plural and smirked. He did not know why he was still sitting there, talking to his former enemy and watching her drink. He supposed he found it comforting to be with someone who was just as lonely as he was. And she did not seem to mind anymore...she wasn't asking him to leave.

"No. just me." he said, taking his first gulp. Hermione rolled her eyes. "What? You think I'm lying?"

"No…It's just that you're drinking an entire bottle of tequila too, not to mention a second bottle of wine; that's all, hypocrite" she said.

Draco shrugged "It's kind of normal for me, I drink entire bottles of booze all the time...but you..."

"Oh so you don't think I could drink all this?" she pointed to the bottle, looking at him with a mixture of defiance and amusement. She never liked being second best to anything.

"I know you can't…" Draco countered, making them even by drinking his third shot.

"You're on!" Hermione smirked. So did Draco, and they both filled their glass.

"So, what do we toast to?" Draco said. Hermione pursed her eyebrow. What_ was_ there to toast to with a former enemy who still wasn't exactly her friend?

"I don't know…" she replied. Draco nodded.

"That's good" he said, raising his glass to her confused face "Cheers to _not knowing_"

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Chapter 2...hihi...cliche but who cares? we all need a little cliche in our lives!

- Asha


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